Improved bilge-water gage



1. R. "BARRY. Bilge Water Gage.

Patented Sept. 27. 1864.;

N. PETERS. Pholo-Lilhognphor. Wishingwn. D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVED BlLGE-WATER GAGE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 44,385, dated September 27, 1864.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, JOB B. BARRY, of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Bilge-Water Gage; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a longitudinal vertical section of my invention when constructed to act by the compression of the air. Fig. 2 is a sectional front elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a diagram representing the gage when constructed to act by the external pressure of the atmosphere balancing the weight of a column of liquid in an exhausted chamber.

Similar letters of reference indicate the same parts.

This invention consists in the combination of an inverted siphon filled with mercury or other suitable liquid, with a tube leading to a chamber or cup in the hold of a vessel and connecting either with, the short or with the long leg of said siphon in such a manner that the meicury in the long leg is caused to rise or fall either by the pressure of the atmosphere or of a column of water in the tube leading from the siphon to the chamber or cup, said pressure being increased or dimin-- ished by the rising and falling of the water in the hold of the vessel.

WVhen the gage is to act by the pressure of the column of water, it is constructed in the following manner:

A represents a siphon-tube, made of glass or any other suitable material, and inclosed in a case, B, of brass or other metal, which, by means of brackets O, can be secured to some convenient place in a vessel. The siphontube A is open at both ends, and its short leg a may be provided with a mercury cup or bulb, D, similar to that of an ordinary barometer, and furnished with a tubular projection, b, to which the end of a pipe, E, can be conveniently secured. This pipe extends through a suitable hole in the side of the case B, and it connects with an inverted cup, F, of metal or other suitable material, which is fastened in some convenient spot in the hold of the vessel.

For the sake of convenience, the connection between the pipe E and case B may be efl'ected by a union-coupling, G, so that said pipe, together with the inverted cup, can be readily detached whenever it may be desirable. This coupling may be situated at or near the bottom end of the case B, as shown in the drawings, or it may be placed at or near the top end of said case, as may be most convenient. The case B is represented as cut open on one side to expose the long leg of the siphon A, and it is provided with a scale, 0, to indicate in feet and inches the depth to which the inverted cup F is immersed in the water. The siphon tube A is filled with mercury to alcvel with the starting-point of the scale on the case B, and it the water rises in the hold of the vessel the air in the cup and in the tube is compressed, and by the action of this compressed air on the mercury in the short leg a of the siphon-tube A the mercury in the long leg of said siphon rises, and the depth of water in the hold can be read off on the scale 0. In this case the column of mercury in the long leg will be balanced by the pressure of a column of water acting through the medium of the air on the surface of the mercury in the short leg of the siphon, the height of the two columns of water and mercury being in an inverted ratio to the specific gravities of the two liquids.

From this description it will be readily understood that with a slight modification the gage can be made to act by the weight of a column of water in the tube E instead of by its pressure. This modification is illustrated by Fig. 3. In that case the tube E connects with the long leg of the siphon A, and it extends downnear to the bottom of the cup F, which ought to be filled with water sufticientl y high to close the mouth of the tube E, and provided with holes near its top to admit the waterfrom the outside. Before starting the gage the tube E and the long leg of the siphon above the mercury are filled with water, and the mercury will of course be drawn up in proportion to the length of the column of water which it has to balance. When the instrument is put up, the scale is adjusted so that the starting-point or o is level with the mercury when there is no water in the hold. It is obvious that in this case it is essential to till the long leg of the siphon entirely with water. Any air remaining in that leg will be rarefied by the weight of the column of water What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The siphon bilge-water gage A D E F, constructed and operating substantially as herein described.

JOB R. BARRY.

Witnesses:

J OHN FRY, B10111). MCOAMBRIDGE. 

